Ultrasonic sensors are used for locating parking spaces (parking space location (PSL)) to assist the driver in looking for sufficiently large parking spaces. When such a parking space is found, the semiautomatic parking assistant provides support in easily driving into the measured parking space, likewise by use of an ultrasonic sensor.
It is known from Japanese Patent No. JP 11-304911 to modify the sensitivity of an ultrasonic sensor as a function of the presence of rain, based on the switched-on state of the windshield wiper. The reception sensitivity is decreased in order to suppress interference resulting from raindrops falling on the roadway.